It’s always a special day when I get to taste old Scotch whisky, but it’s truly a special day when I get to taste 46-year-old Scotch! To say I’m excited and grateful for my friends at Brown Forman is an understatement. Their portfolio is awesome, and I’m so grateful for the relationship I have with their PR agency, and their ambassador teams!
One bit of housekeeping before we move on: I received this sample compliments of Glenglassaugh and their PR agency in exchange for my honest feedback and review. While life would be much easier if I were on the take like a dirty cop, I’m not, and all my reviews are honest. The presence or absence of a media sample never affects the outcome. That said, I need a drink…
First and foremost, allow me to once again just say “WOW”… Seriously, pinch me ‘cuz, like, am I dreaming?! This stuff is older than I am! With that out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?
Glenglassaugh, in English “Valley of the Gray-Green Place” is a distillery in the Highlands of Scotland and was founded in 1875 by Scottish Reservist Colonel and philanthropist, James Moir, who, according to Glenglassaugh Brand Ambassador Rory Glasgow, helped bring electricity and railway to the town of Portsoy.
The Glenglassaugh 46 was distilled in 1975, roughly 100 years after the distillery was first opened, but was mothballed shortly thereafter in 1986. In December 2008 production was restarted and in 2013 BenRiach bought Glenglassaugh.
Appearance: in glass this is a beautiful copper honey tone.
Nose: I’m greeted with rich notes of fruit leather, vanilla, marzipan, and oak. There are notes of cherry, orange, cinnamon, and a touch of brininess and black pepper.
Palate: lots of cherry, cinnamon, and orange on the front pallet. Moving into notes of vanilla, chocolate, and marzipan as well as a touch of coconut on the mid-palate. The back of the pallet has notes of leather and tobacco, as well as a rich fruitiness.
All in all, an absolutely stunning dram and not particularly oaky for a 46-year-old single malt.
Tag: scotch
The below review originally appeared on a Whisk(e)y Review Website I am no longer affiliated with, and as such I wanted to repost it here:
In April (of 2020) I got an email from The Last Drop Distillers, the subject line of which read “Release XVIII: The 1970 Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch Whisky”. I was intrigued and excited because TLD puts out some delicious liquid. So I opened it up and read that while things had been rough of late, they wanted to share some good news. They were releasing a trio of single cask Glenrothes Scotch whiskies!
A particularly important part of the email says “In many ways, this is a particularly special release: the completion of a trilogy of superb releases from one of the most revered distilleries in Scotland, it also represents the trilogy of friends who founded the company. There is a sense of completion in arriving at the final piece in the set. Many of you will already have received your bottles of the 1968 and the 1969. We can promise you that the 1970 is every bit as good”.
So I reached out to them and asked if it would be possible to get hold of a sample of the 1970’s cask. Rebecca, the company’s (at the time) Managing Director, wrote me back a few days later saying that they would love to get me a sample and they wouldl speak with the US team to determine how best to get samples out (they’re based in the UK). After a few emails back and forth and delays because of COVID and the nature of the whisky business, I received a parcel. Contained inside was a box embossed with the logo for The Last Drop Distillers, and upon opening it I found not one, but three single cask Glenrothes samples for me to taste.
All three single casks were filled on December 6th 1970 and bottled in 2019, making them just shy of 50 years old and some of the oldest whiskey I’ve tasted to date… All three are in Ex-Bourbon casks. There are no sherry casks in this release.
Glenrothes 1970 Cask # 10586: 45.3% ABV
Appearance: Dark straw, and golden honey. The legs on this glass of scotch are very unimpressive.
Nose: On the nose I get prevalent notes of black pepper, followed by notes of ash, and subtle notes of extinguished campfire the day after. While not extremely powerful there are still noticeable notes of ethanol, almost like a cleaner. Ripe cherry, followed by notes of butterscotch and toffee. Surprising lack of vanilla for an ex-bourbon matured scotch, especially one of this age. There is a present, but not overpowering note of malt.
Flavour: Refreshingly cool on the palate, with notes of vanilla, malt, caramel, oak, cherry and peach. As you enjoy it the liquid warms on your tongue, leaving a nice peppery and malty finish.
4.5/5 – while this is clearly an exceptional Scotch whisky, it is by no means the best in class.
Glenrothes 1970 Cask # 10588: 44.1% ABV
Appearance: Deep amber, honey. Legs leave much to the imagination.
Nose: Sweet cherries, very mellow nose with a lack of depth. Notes of vanilla, caramel, and molasses.
Flavour: Stark contrast to barrel 10586. This single cask, while still rich, is not as flavourful. Notes of char, vanilla, almond, lead a slight taste of mocha, and chocolate malt. Very spice forward, with notes of chili pepper, black pepper, and of all things, raw white onion!
4/5 – Still delicious though, in my opinion, not as good as cask 10586.
Glenrothes 1970 Cask # 10589: 45% ABV
Appearance: The lightest of the trio of single casks with slightly darkened straw and a gorgeous golden hue. The legs on this particular scotch leave much to be desired in that while they are present, they’re fairly minuscule and close to the surface of the liquid.
Nose: This has the most bizarre nose as I get notes of rubber, smoke, and iodine. It’s slightly reminiscent of Baijiu with a very sweet “bubble gum”-esque aroma. I do get some subtle notes of oak and vanilla but not much.
Flavour: Much like the other two casks in this release (though I did not mention it in my notes for #10588), this whisky has a unique “cooling” or refreshing aspect. I found a similar note in a Glenfiddich I tried recently. The flavours on this cask are much more subdued, I mostly get malt, followed by the taste of a stone fruit that I can’t quite put my finger on. There is some granny smith apple, both baked and fresh, leading into a flavour of lightly toasted bread.
4/5 – A delicious scotch, and if you like Glenrothes or the Speyside style, one you certainly will enjoy. But not something that I feel is a “you must go and purchase this RIGHT NOW” type of bottle.
This trio of single cask Glenrothes Scotch whiskies is unique, tasty, and are literally liquid history. While they are not the oldest Glenrothes released to date, they are certainly a close second.
Of all the Scotch distilleries on the isle of Islay, none have quite the cult-like reputation that Ardbeg does. Like many other distilleries, Ardbeg has a free membership club for its fans; theirs is called the Ardbeg Committee. Every year Ardbeg sends at least one committee bottling to the states at cask strength and then shortly thereafter at a lower proof.
One bit of housekeeping before we move on: I received a sample compliments of Ardbeg and their PR agency in exchange for my honest feedback and review. While life would be much easier if I was on the take like a dirty cop, I’m not, and all my reviews are honest. The presence or absence of a media sample never affects the outcome. That said, I need a drink…
For 2022 one of those releases is Ardbeg Hypernova, described as “the smokiest Ardbeg ever”, this release is 51% ABV and is non-chill filtered. While this is officially a non-age-stated release, one thing we know for certain is that it is definitely on the younger side. This is due to the fact that as whisky ages it loses phenols (the chemical compound that is found in peat smoke that gives the product its smoky flavour and aroma). Since we know this is “the smokiest Ardbeg ever”, it’s safe to say that there are a lot of phenols present.
Appearance: In the glass, this whisky presents as a pale yellow, almost like oversaturated lemonade.
Nose: The nose starts with an aroma that can only be described as beef tallow, which gives way to heavily roasted malt to the point that it’s almost like cocoa Krispies. The peat is very mellow and melds well with the earthy “dankness” of this whisky.
Palate: The palate starts with that same earthy “dankness” present in the aromatics. Following that is a lemony-ness reminiscent of a less sweet lemon bar. There is a very mellow peat here and it would be a great choice to introduce someone to Islay Peated Malt Whisky. Delicate and approachable, lots of confectionary flavours in this release. A touch of cardamom and graham cracker crumb finish out the palate.
I personally love smoky whisky and was very excited to try the Hypernova. While it’s still a delicious Ardbeg, for me, this was not that smoky. In fact, in my honest opinion, the Ardbeg Uigeadaily or Corryvreckan are smokier/peatier expressions and are much easier to get hold of.
If you’ve ever asked me about my favourite whiskey, I’ve probably told you I don’t have a favourite bottle but I do have a couple of favourite distilleries; and The GlenDronach is one of them.
I have had the pleasure of reviewing a number of GlenDronach bottlings over the last couple years, with my most recent favourite being Cask #217 from their most recent release of Cask Bottling Batch #19. If you’re interested you can find that review here. So when Gabriela from their PR agency reached out to me about reviewing The GlenDronach Grandeur Batch 11 I immediately said yes.
One note of housekeeping before we can get to the whisky: these samples were provided to me by The GlenDronach and their PR firm in exchange for my honest review. The presence, or absence, of free product has no influence on my review.